[GirlySports]

I think Portugal being 8th is fair. Soccer unlike other sports has a ranking that goes back many years and major tournaments are given alot more points. Since they don't really play that many matches, the ranking doesn't change that much. Different than say tennis where they play every week and players lose or gain points defended from the year before on a weekly basis.

So how many games has Portugal played since 2004? 40? 50? can't be much more than that. And friendlies hardly count for anything.

So their record

2004 Euro finalists
2006 World Cup semifinalists (4th place)
2008 Euro quarterfinalists
2010 World Cup eighth-finalist

As bad as they are looking now, you'd be hard-pressed to find 10 teams that have a record better than this. Obviously drawing Cyprus, losing to Norway and perhaps not qualifying for Euro 2012 will knock them down into the teens, but for right now, I think their 8th ranking is justified.